_."

He went in, and fell on his knees beside the bed.

"Mother!" he said.

Fain would he have said more, but no word could he utter. His tongue
seemed to cleave to the roof of his mouth. Mrs Leven opened her eyes
on hearing the single word, and her cheek flushed slightly as she seized
one of his hands, kissed it and held it to her breast. Then she looked
earnestly, and oh! so anxiously, into his face, and said in a low
tone:--

"Fred, dear, are you so--"

She stopped abruptly.

"Yes, yes," cried her son, passionately; "yes, mother, I'm sober _now_!
Oh mother, dearest, darling mother, I am guilty, guilty; I have sinned.
Oh forgive, forgive me! Listen, listen! I am in earnest now, my
mother. Think of me as I used to be long ago. Don't shut your eyes.
Look at me, mother, look at Fred."

The poor woman looked at him with tears of gladness in her eyes.

"God bless you, Fred!" she murmured. "It is long, long, since you spoke
like that. But I knew you would. I have always expected that you
would. Praise the Lord!"

Fred tried to speak, and again found that he could not, but the fountain
of his soul was opened. He laid his face on his mother's hand and
sobbed bitterly.

Those who witnessed this scene stood as if spellbound. As far as sound
or motion went these two might have been in the room alone. Presently
the sound of sobbing ceased, and Fred, raising his head, began gently to
stroke the hand he held in his. Sometime in his wild career, he knew
not when or where, he had heard it said that this slight action had
often a wonderful power to soothe the sick. He continued it for some
time. Then the doctor advanced and gazed into the invalid's
countenance.

"She sleeps," he said, in a low tone.

"May I stay beside her?" whispered Fred.

Lawrence nodded assent, and then motioning to the others to withdraw,
followed them into Mrs Roby's room, where he told them that her
sleeping was a good sign, and that they must do their best to prevent
her being disturbed.

"It won't be necessary for any one to watch. Her son will prove her
best attendant just now; but it may be as well that some one should sit
up in this room, and look in now and then to see that the candle doesn't
burn out, and that all is right. I will go now, and will make this my
first visit in the morning."

"Captain Wopper," said Lewis Stoutley, in a subdued voice, when Lawrence
had left, "I won this ten-pound note to-night from Fre